JP2017508412A - Hybrid relay scheme - Google Patents

Abstract

Uplink communication of machine type communication (MTC) devices by relaying communication through a first device such as a mobile device or user equipment (UE) to a second device such as a base station or Evolved-NodeB (eNB) Methods, systems, and devices for improving are described. In one embodiment, the relay device may participate in a discovery process for discovering MTC devices. The relay device may then receive data from the discovered MTC device, such as through a peer-to-peer link, and relay the data to the base station through a second communication link. In another embodiment, an MTC device may participate in a discovery process with a first device such as a relay UE. The MTC device may then transmit data to the relay UE for relay to a second device such as a base station. In either case, the MTC device may receive data directly from the base station.

Description

Cross reference
[0001] This patent application is assigned to the assignee of the present application and is a priority of US patent application Ser. No. 14 / 107,195 by Ge et al. Insist on the right.

  [0002] The following relates generally to wireless communications, and more particularly to improving uplink communications for machine-to-machine (M2M) communications or machine type communications (MTC) devices. M2M or MTC refers to a data communication technology that allows automated devices to communicate with each other without human intervention. For example, the M2M and / or MTC may measure or acquire information and use the information or relay the information to a central server or application program that presents the information to a person interacting with the program or application. In addition, it may refer to communication from a device incorporating a sensor or meter. These devices may be referred to as M2M devices, MTC devices, and / or MTC user equipment (UE).

  [0003] MTC devices can be used, for example, to collect information or to allow automated behavior of a machine. Examples of applications for MTC devices include smart metering, inventory monitoring, water level monitoring, equipment monitoring, healthcare monitoring, wildlife monitoring, weather and geological event monitoring, fleet management and tracking, remote security detection, There is physical access control, as well as transaction-based business billing. As industries such as automotive, security, healthcare, and fleet management adopt MTC for increased productivity, cost management, and / or customer service expansion, the market for MTC devices can grow rapidly. is expected.

  [0004] MTC devices may use a variety of wired and / or wireless communication technologies. For example, the MTC device may include various wireless cellular technologies such as LTE® and / or various wireless networking technologies (eg, IEEE 802.11 (Wi-Fi®), IEEE 802.16 (WiMAX®). Trademark))) and the like. MTC devices also communicate with each other using various peer-to-peer technologies, such as LTE-Direct (LTE-D), Bluetooth®, ZigBee®, and / or other ad hoc or mesh network technologies. You can also The expansion of multiple access wireless networks around the world has made it much easier for MTC communications to take place, reducing the amount of power and time for information to be communicated between machines.

  [0005] Furthermore, MTC devices generally must be power efficient and low cost, so they typically do not include a power amplifier (PA) or they may have a small PA. MTC devices may use narrow frequency band transceivers. As a result, MTC devices may have link budget issues, particularly for uplink communications to, for example, base stations or eNBs.

  [0006] The described features generally include machine type by relaying communication through a first device such as a mobile device or user equipment (UE) to a second device such as a base station or Evolved-NodeB (eNB). One or more improved systems, methods, and / or apparatus for improving uplink communication of a communication (MTC) device. In one aspect, the relay device may participate in a discovery process for discovering MTC devices. The relay device may then receive data from the discovered MTC device, such as through a peer-to-peer (P2P) link, and relay the data to the base station through a second communication link. In another aspect, an MTC device may participate in a discovery process with a first device such as a relay mobile station or UE. The MTC device may then transmit data to the relay device for relay to a second device such as a base station. In some embodiments, the relay device may communicate with the MTC device by routing through the base station. Uplink communications from the MTC device to the base station can be relayed through the relay device, while downlink communications can be communicated directly from the base station to the MTC device. In this way, the uplink communication budget of the MTC device can be improved without modification to the MTC device and with minimal network impact.

  [0007] In some embodiments, a method of wireless communication implemented at a first device may include participating in a discovery process for discovering a machine type communication (MTC) device. The first device may then receive data from the discovered MTC device and relay the data from the MTC device to the second device. In some cases, the second device may be a cellular base station or a wireless local area network (WLAN) access point.

  [0008] In some embodiments, the first device may establish a first peer-to-peer connection with the MTC device and a second connection with the second device.

  [0009] In some embodiments, relaying data from the MTC device to the second device may include relaying uplink data from the MTC device to the second device. In some cases, the second device may communicate directly with the MTC device on the downlink.

  [0010] In some embodiments, participating in the discovery process with the MTC device may include broadcasting a peer discovery signal by the first device to indicate availability for acting as a relay. The first device may then receive a request from the MTC device to act as a relay, and in response may send a message to the MTC device to confirm that the first device will act as a relay. In some cases, the first device may route a message confirming to act as a relay to the MTC device via the second device.

  [0011] Participating in the discovery process with the MTC device may include receiving a peer discovery signal from the MTC device by the first device. The first device may then send a message to the MTC device indicating availability to act as a relay. The first device may then receive a request from the MTC device seeking to act as a relay. In some cases, the first device may route a message confirming to act as a relay to the MTC device via the second device.

  [0012] In other embodiments, a device for relaying MTC data may include a processor, memory in electronic communication with the processor, and instructions stored in the memory, wherein the instructions are the MTC device. Can be performed by the processor to participate in the discovery process to discover, receive data from the discovered MTC device, and relay the data from the MTC device to the second device.

  [0013] In some embodiments, the instructions executable by the processor also indicate that the device establishes a first peer-to-peer connection with the MTC device and a second connection with the second device. Can be possible.

  [0014] In some embodiments, instructions executable by the processor may also allow the device to send one or more messages to the MTC device by routing through the second device. In some cases, the second device may communicate directly with the MTC device on the downlink.

  [0015] In other embodiments, a method of wireless communication performed by an MTC device participates in a discovery process with a first device and transmits data to the first device for relaying to the second device. Sending to. In some cases, the second device may be a cellular base station or a wireless local area network (WLAN) access point.

  [0016] In some embodiments, the MTC device may establish a peer-to-peer connection with the first device. In some cases, sending data to the first device for relaying to the second device may be due to an established peer-to-peer connection.

  [0017] In some embodiments, the MTC device may receive downlink communication directly from the second device.

  [0018] In some embodiments, participating in the discovery process with the first device includes broadcasting a peer discovery signal by the MTC device to request the first device to act as a relay. May be included. The MTC device may then receive a message from the first device indicating that the first device is available to act as a relay. In some cases, the MTC device receives a message from the first device by routing through the second device.

  [0019] In some embodiments, participating in the discovery process with the first device generates a peer discovery signal indicating that the first device is available to act as a relay for the MTC device. Receiving from the first device. The MTC device may then send a message to the first device confirming that the MTC has data to relay to the second device via the first device.

  [0020] In other embodiments, the MTC device may include a processor, memory in electronic communication with the processor, and instructions stored in the memory, the instructions being transmitted by the processor to the first device. And to transmit data to the first device for relaying to the second device.

  [0021] In some embodiments, instructions executable by the processor may also allow the MTC device to establish a peer-to-peer connection with the first device. In some cases, sending data to the first device for relaying to the second device may be via a peer-to-peer connection.

  [0022] In some embodiments, instructions executable by the processor also allow the MTC device to receive one or more messages from the first device by routing through the second device. obtain. The instructions executable by the processor may also allow the MTC device to receive downlink communications directly from the second device.

  [0023] Further scope of the applicability of the described methods and apparatus will become apparent from the following detailed description, claims, and drawings. Since various changes and modifications within the spirit and scope of the detailed description will become apparent to those skilled in the art, the detailed description and specific examples are given by way of illustration only.

  [0024] A further understanding of the nature and advantages of the present invention may be achieved by reference to the following drawings. In the appended figures, similar components or features may have the same reference label. In addition, various components of the same type can be distinguished by following the reference label with a dash and a second label that distinguishes those similar components. Where only the first reference label is used in the specification, the description is applicable to any one of the similar components having the same first reference label, regardless of the second reference label.

[0025] FIG. 7 is a block diagram of a wireless communication system in accordance with various embodiments. [0026] FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating an example of a wireless communication system implementing an MTC service, according to various embodiments. [0027] FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating another example of a wireless communication system implementing an MTC service, according to various embodiments. [0028] FIG. 7 illustrates an example of wireless communication of an MTC device, according to various embodiments. [0029] FIG. 7 is a flow diagram for relaying communication of an MTC device to a base station through a relay device, according to various embodiments. [0030] FIG. 8 is another flow diagram for relaying communication of an MTC device to a base station through a relay device, according to various embodiments. [0031] FIG. 7 is a block diagram illustrating a relay device for relaying MTC communications, according to various embodiments. [0032] FIG. 7 is a block diagram illustrating one embodiment of a relay module, according to various embodiments. [0033] FIG. 6 is a block diagram illustrating an MTC device configured to utilize a relay device, according to various embodiments. [0034] FIG. 7 is a block diagram illustrating one embodiment of a data management module, according to various embodiments. [0035] FIG. 9 is a block diagram of a relay device that may be configured to relay MTC communications, according to various embodiments. [0036] FIG. 7 is a block diagram of an MTC device that may be configured to utilize a relay device, according to various embodiments. [0037] FIG. 9 is a flowchart of a method for relaying MTC communications according to various embodiments. 6 is a flowchart of a method for relaying MTC communications according to various embodiments. 6 is a flowchart of a method for relaying MTC communications according to various embodiments. 6 is a flowchart of a method for relaying MTC communications according to various embodiments.

  [0038] The described features generally include machine type by relaying communication through a first device such as a mobile device or user equipment (UE) to a second device such as a base station or Evolved-NodeB (eNB). It relates to one or more improved systems, methods, and / or apparatus for improving uplink communication of communication (MTC) devices. In one aspect, the relay device may participate in a discovery process for discovering MTC devices. In some cases, the relay device may initiate the discovery process by broadcasting a peer discovery signal to indicate availability for acting as a relay. The relay device may receive a request from the MTC device to act as a relay, for example, if the MTC device has data to send to the MTC server through the base station. The relay device may send a message to the MTC device confirming that it will act as a relay. In other cases, the MTC device may initiate the discovery process so that the relay device can receive a peer discovery signal from the MTC device. The relay device may then send a message to the MTC device indicating availability to act as a relay. The relay device may then receive a request from the MTC device seeking to act as a relay. In some embodiments, the relay device may communicate, eg, send a message to the MTC device by routing the message through the base station.

  [0039] Once the relay relationship is confirmed between the relay device and the MTC device, the relay device may then receive data from the discovered MTC device, such as via a peer-to-peer (P2P) link. The relay device may relay the data to the base station through a second communication link, such as a long term evolution (LTE) link.

  [0040] In another aspect, for example, if an MTC device has data to communicate to an MTC server, the MTC device may participate in a discovery process with a first device such as a mobile station or UE. In one aspect, the MTC device may initiate the discovery process by broadcasting a peer discovery signal to request that the device act as a relay for MTC communication. The MTC device may receive a message from the device that received the peer discovery signal. The message may indicate that the device is available to act as a relay device. In another aspect, a candidate relay device may initiate a discovery process. In this case, the MTC device may receive a peer discovery signal from that device, and the peer discovery signal indicates that the device is available to act as a relay device. In response, the MTC device may send a message through the relay device confirming that the MTC has data to relay to another device that may be a base station. In some embodiments, the relay device may communicate, eg, send a message to the MTC device by routing the message through the base station.

  [0041] After the MTC device and the relay device discover each other, the MTC device may send data to the relay device for relaying to other devices. In some cases, the MTC device establishes a peer-to-peer (P2P) connection with the relay device and transmits data to be relayed to the relay device via the P2P connection. In any aspect, the relay device may communicate routing information to the base station to enable downlink communication between the base station and the MTC device. In some embodiments, uplink communications from the MTC device to the base station can be relayed through the relay device, while downlink communications can be communicated directly from the base station to the MTC device.

  [0042] The following description, therefore, provides examples and does not limit the scope, applicability, or configuration of the claims. Various embodiments may omit, substitute, or add various procedures or components as appropriate. For example, the described methods may be performed in a different order than the described order, and various steps may be added, omitted, or combined. Also, features described with respect to some embodiments may be combined in other embodiments.

  [0043] Referring initially to FIG. 1, a block diagram illustrates an example of a wireless communication system 100. As shown in FIG. The system 100 includes a base station 105, communication devices 115, 120, a base station controller 135, and a core network 140 (the controller 135 can be incorporated into the core network 140). The system 100 may support operation on multiple carriers (different frequency waveform signals). A multi-carrier transmitter may transmit modulated signals simultaneously on multiple carriers. For example, each modulated signal may be a multi-carrier channel modulated according to the various radio technologies described above. Each modulated signal may be sent on a different carrier and may carry control information (eg, pilot signals, control channels, etc.), overhead information, data, etc. System 100 can be a multi-carrier LTE network that can efficiently allocate network resources.

  [0044] Base station 105 may wirelessly communicate with devices 115, 120 via a base station antenna (not shown). Base station 105 may communicate with devices 115, 120 under the control of base station controller 135 via multiple carriers. Each of the base station 105 sites may provide communication coverage for a respective geographic area or cell. In some embodiments, the base station 105 includes a base transceiver station, a radio base station, an access point, a radio transceiver, a basic service set (BSS), an extended service set (ESS), a NodeB, an eNodeB (eNB), a Home NodeB, It may be referred to as Home eNodeB, or some other suitable term. Here, the coverage area (or cell) for each base station 105 is identified as 110-a, 110-b, or 110-c. The coverage area for the base station may be divided into sectors (not shown, but constituting only a portion of the coverage area). System 100 can include different types of base stations 105 (eg, macro base stations, pico base stations, and / or femto base stations). A macro base station may provide communication coverage for a relatively large geographic area (eg, a radius of 35 km). A pico base station may provide coverage for a relatively small geographic area (eg, radius 12 km), and a femto base station may provide communication coverage for a relatively small geographic area (eg, radius 50 m). There may be overlapping coverage areas for various technologies.

  [0045] Devices 115, 120 may be distributed throughout the coverage area 110. Each device 115, 120 can be stationary or mobile. In one configuration, the devices 115, 120 communicate with different types of base stations, such as, but not limited to, macro base stations, pico base stations, and femto base stations via links 125, 130, 145, respectively. It may be possible.

  [0046] Some of the devices are machine types that perform various functions, acquire information, and / or communicate information with limited or no human intervention It may be a communication (MTC) device 115. For example, the MTC device 115 may include sensors and / or meters for monitoring and / or tracking other devices, environmental conditions, and the like. The MTC device 115 may be a stand-alone device or, in some embodiments, the MTC device 115 is a module embedded in another device, such as a relay device 120, which may be a mobile device or user equipment (UE). It may be. For example, smart phones, cellular phones, and wireless communication devices, personal digital assistants (PDAs), tablets, other handheld devices, netbooks, ultrabooks, smartbooks, notebook computers, surveillance cameras, medical scanning devices with handles, home A relay device 120, such as an electrical appliance, may include one or more MTC device modules. In other cases, the relay device 120 may not implement the MTC function. The following description describes various techniques as applied to communication and processing for a system 100 that includes a network and one or more MTC devices 115. It should be understood that the described techniques may be advantageously applied to other devices, such as those incorporating the MTC device 115, and / or other wireless communication devices.

  [0047] In some implementations, the MTC device 115 may communicate with the base station 105 by relaying information through the relay device 120. In some cases, the MTC device may relay uplink data to the base station 105 via a link 145 to the relay device 120, which then forwards the MTC data to the base station 105 via the link 130. Can do. Base station 105 may communicate directly with MTC device 115 on the downlink via link 125.

  [0048] Information collected by the MTC device 115 may be transmitted over a network that includes components of the system 100 to a back-end system, such as a server. Transmission of data to / from MTC device 115 may be routed through base station 105. Base station 105 can transmit signaling and / or information to MTC device 115 on the forward or downlink link and reverse or uplink to receive signaling and / or information from MTC device 115. , And may communicate with the MTC device 115.

  [0049] In one example, network controller 135 may be coupled to a set of base stations 105 to coordinate and control these base stations 105. Controller 135 may communicate with base station 105 via a backhaul (eg, core network 140). Base stations 105 may also communicate with each other directly or indirectly and / or via a wireless or wireline backhaul.

  [0050] Various aspects of the system 100, such as the MTC device 115, the relay device 120, the base station 105, the core network 140, and / or the controller 135, may be linked to the second device, such as the base station 105, via links 145 and By relaying communication through the relay device 120, the uplink communication of the MTC device 115 may be configured to be improved.

  [0051] In an aspect, the relay device 120, for example, when the MTC device 115 has data to transmit to the base station 105, when the relay device 120 detects the MTC device 115 having data to transmit, and / or If the base station 105 has data to communicate with the MTC device 115, it may participate in the discovery process to discover the MTC device 115. In some cases, relay device 120 may initiate the discovery process by broadcasting a peer discovery signal to indicate availability for acting as a relay. Relay device 120 may then receive a request from MTC device 115 seeking to act as a relay. Relay device 120 may send a message to MTC device 115 confirming that it acts as a relay.

  [0052] In other cases, the MTC device 115 may initiate the discovery process so that the relay device 120 may receive a peer discovery signal from the MTC device 115. Relay device 120 may then send a message to MTC device 115 indicating the availability to act as a relay. The relay device 120 may then receive a request from the MTC device 115 seeking to act as a relay. In some embodiments, relay device 120 may communicate, eg, send a message to MTC device 115 by routing the message through base station 105, such as via links 130 and 125.

  [0053] Once the relay relationship is confirmed between the relay device 120 and the MTC device 115, the relay device 120 then receives data from the discovered MTC device, such as over a peer-to-peer (P2P) link 145, and the long term The data may be relayed to the base station through a second communication link 130, which may be an evolution (LTE) link or the like.

  [0054] In another aspect, for example, if the MTC device 115 has data to communicate to the base station 105, the MTC device 115 may be in a discovery process with a first device 120 such as a mobile station or UE. Can participate. In one aspect, the MTC device 115 may initiate the discovery process by broadcasting a peer discovery signal to request that the device act as a relay for MTC communication. The MTC device 115 may receive a message from the device 120 that received the peer discovery signal. The message may indicate that device 120 is available to act as a relay device. In another aspect, the device 120 may initiate a discovery process. In this case, MTC device 115 may receive a peer discovery signal from device 120, which indicates that device 120 is available to act as a relay device. In response, the MTC device 115 may send a message confirming that the MTC device 115 has data to relay to the base station 105, eg, via the relay device 120.

  [0055] After MTC device 115 and relay device 120 discover each other, MTC device 115 may transmit data to relay device 120 for relay to base station 105. In some cases, the MTC device 115 establishes a peer-to-peer (P2P) connection 145 with the relay device 120 and transmits data to be relayed to the relay device 120 via the P2P connection 145. Relay device 120 may communicate with MTC device 115 via links 145, 130, and 125 by routing through the base station. In some embodiments, uplink communication from the MTC device 115 to the base station 105 may be relayed through the relay device 120 via links 145, 130, while downlink communication may be relayed via the link 125 to the base station 105. To the MTC device 115 directly. In this way, the uplink communication budget of the MTC device 115 may be improved without modification to the MTC device 115 itself and with minimal impact on the network 100.

  [0056] FIG. 2 illustrates an example wireless communication system 200 that includes a radio access network (RAN) or core network 205 that implements machine-type communication services, according to one aspect. System 200 may include any number of MTC devices 115, but for ease of explanation, only three MTC devices 115-a, 115-b, and 115-c communicate with MTC server 210. It is shown. Communications between server 210 and MTC devices 115-a, 115-b, and 115-c may be routed through base station 105-a, which may be considered part of core network / RAN 205. The base station 105-a may be an example of the base station 105 illustrated in FIG. MTC devices 115-a, 115-b, and 115-c may be examples of MTC device 115 shown in FIG. 1, or may be examples of modules of relay device 120 shown in FIG. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the numbers of MTC devices 115, core network / RAN 205, and MTC server 210 shown in FIG. 2 are merely illustrative and should not be construed as limiting.

  [0057] The wireless communication system 200 may be operable to allow machine type communication between one or more MTC devices 115 and / or one or more base stations 105-a. Machine type communication may include communication between one or more devices without human intervention. In one example, machine type communication is automatic data transmission between a remote machine such as MTC devices 115-a, 115-b, 115-c and a back-end IT infrastructure such as MTC server 210 without user intervention. Exchange can be included. Transfer of data from the MTC devices 115-a, 115-b, 115-c to the MTC server 210 via the core network / RAN 205 (eg, base station 105-a) uses reverse or uplink link communication. Can be implemented. Data collected by the MTC devices 115-a, 115-b, 115-c (eg, monitoring data, sensor data, meter data, etc.) may be transferred to the MTC server 210 over uplink communications.

  [0058] Transfer of data from the MTC server 210 to the MTC device 115-a via the base station 105-a may be performed via forward or downlink communication. The forward link may be used to send instructions, software / firmware updates, and / or messages to MTC devices 115-a, 115-b, 115-c. The instructions may instruct the MTC devices 115-a, 115-b, 115-c to remotely monitor equipment, environmental conditions, etc. Machine type communication can be used in various applications including but not limited to remote monitoring, measurement and status recording, fleet management and asset tracking, in-field data collection, delivery, physical access control, and / or storage Can be used with examples. Base station 105-a may generate one or more forward link frames with a small number of channels to send instructions, software / firmware updates, and / or messages. Various MTC devices 115-a, 115-b, 115-c may wake up to monitor a frame when instructions or other data are included on the channel of a particular frame.

  [0059] In one embodiment, the behavior of the MTC devices 115-a, 115-b, 115-c may be predefined. For example, the date and time for monitoring another device and transmitting the collected information, etc. may be predefined for MTC devices 115-a, 115-b, 115-c. For example, the MTC device 115-a may be programmed to begin monitoring another device and collect information about the other device in the first predefined time period. Device 115-a may also be programmed to transmit the collected information for a second predefined time period. The behavior of the MTC device 115-a may be programmed remotely with respect to the device 115-a.

  [0060] In some embodiments, one or more MTC devices 115-a, 115-b, 115-c, for example, via the base network 105-a to the MTC server 210 via the core network / RAN 205. May have data to send. In other cases, the MTC server 210 may request data from one or more MTC devices 115-a, 115-b, 115-c. In any case, MTC devices 115-a, 115-b, 115-c may have uplink data to be communicated to base station 105-a to be relayed to MTC server 210. Assuming that the MTC devices 115-a, 115-b, 115-c may be narrow frequency band devices and / or have limited power resources, they may be It may not be possible to communicate data to station 105-a and / or MTC server 210 effectively and in a timely manner. Communication of MTC devices, eg, MTC device 115-c, particularly uplink communication, may be improved by relaying data communication to base station 105 and / or MTC server 210 through relay device 120-a. These relay techniques will be described in more detail below with reference to FIGS.

  [0061] FIG. 3 illustrates an example wireless communication system 300 that implements machine-type communication services over an LTE / LTE advanced network, according to various embodiments. The LTE / LTE-A network may include an Evolved Universal Terrestrial Radio Access Network (E-UTRAN) 305 and an Evolved Packet Core (EPC) 320. LTE E-UTRAN 305 and EPC 320 may be configured to support end-to-end packet switched communications. EPC 320 may include a packet data network (PDN) gateway 322. PDN gateway 322 may be connected to one or more Internet Protocol (IP) networks 330. The IP network 330 may include an operator IP network as well as an external IP network. For example, the IP network 330 may include the Internet, one or more intranets, an IP multimedia subsystem (IMS), and a packet switched (PS) streaming service (PSS). The PDN gateway 322 may provide UE IP address allocation as well as other functions. EPC 320 may interconnect with other access networks using other radio access technologies. For example, EPC 320 may interconnect with UTRAN 342 and / or GERAN 344 via one or more serving GPRS support nodes (SGSN) 340.

  [0062] The EPC 320 may include one or more serving gateways 324 and / or a mobility management entity (MME) 326. Serving gateway 324 handles the interface to E-UTRAN 305 and may provide a communication point for inter-RAT mobility (eg, a handover to UTRAN 342 and / or GERAN 344, etc.). In general, MME 326 may provide bearer and connection management, but serving gateway 324 may forward user IP packets between base station 105 and other network endpoints (eg, PDN GW 322, etc.). For example, the MME 326 may manage inter-RAT mobility functions (eg, serving gateway selection) and / or UE tracking management. Serving gateway 324 and MME 326 may be implemented in one physical node of EPC 320 or in separate physical nodes. A Home Subscriber Service (HSS) and / or Home Location Register (HLR) node 360 may provide service authorization and / or user authentication for the UE. The HSS / HLR node 360 may communicate with one or more databases 362.

  [0063] The E-UTRAN 305 may include one or more base stations or eNBs 105-b, 105-c, and the base stations or eNBs 105-b, 105-c may be configured as MTC via the air interface of the LTE network. Provide user and control plane protocol termination for devices 115-d, 115-e, 115-f, and / or relay devices or UE 120-b. The eNBs 105-b and 105-c may be connected to the X2 interface for intra-eNB communication. Base stations 105-b, 105-c may be connected to serving gateway 324 and / or MME 326 via S-1 interface 315 to communicate data traffic and / or control plane information. The MTC devices 115-d, 115-e, 115-f and / or the relay device 120-b may be, for example, multiple input multiple output (MIMO), multipoint coordination (CoMP), as described in more detail below. Or through other schemes may be configured to communicate cooperatively with multiple base stations 105.

  [0064] In some embodiments, the wireless communication network 300 includes an MTC interaction function (IWF) module 350, which is one with the EPC 320 to provide MTC services in the LTE network. Alternatively, an interface between a plurality of external MTC servers 210-a may be provided. The MTC server 210-a may be an example of the MTC server 210 of FIG. The MTC server 210-a may be operated by the owner of the MTC device 115 and may perform functions related to the deployment of the MTC device 115, such as receiving and processing MTC device data. The MTC server 210-a may be connected directly to the EPC 320 or may be connected through other networks such as the MTC IWF module 350 and / or the Internet. The MTC IWF module 350 may be implemented in one or more existing physical nodes of the EPC 320 (eg, serving gateway 324, etc.) or in a separate physical node connected to the EPC 320.

  [0065] The wireless communication network 300 may further support relaying communication from the MTC device 115-d to the base station 105-b through the relay device 120-b. For example, relay device 120-b may participate in the discovery process with MTC device 115-d. After relay device 120-b and MTC device 115-d discover each other, relay device 120-b is a P2P link that implements, for example, LTE-D, Wi-Fi-Direct, or other P2P technologies, etc. Data may be received from the discovered MTC device 115-d via the obtaining link 145-a. Relay device 120-b may then forward or relay MTC data to base station 105-b via link 125-a, which may implement LTE or other WLAN technology. In other embodiments, MTC device 115-d may participate in the discovery process with relay device 120-b. When discovery is complete, MTC device 115-d may transfer data to be relayed to base station 105-b via link 125-a to relay device 120-b via link 145-a. In some embodiments, relay device 120-b may communicate, eg, send a message to MTC device 115-d through base station 105-b, such as through links 130-a and 125-a.

  [0066] FIG. 4 illustrates an example of wireless communication 300 between an MTC device 115-g, a relay device 120-c, and a base station 105-d, according to various embodiments. The MTC device 115-g may be an example of the MTC device 115 of FIGS. 1, 2, and / or 3. Relay device 120-c may be an example of the relay device or UE 120 of FIGS. 1 and / or 3. Base station 105-d, which may be a cellular base station, eNB, or WLAN access point, may be an example of base station 105 of FIGS. MTC device 115-g may communicate with base station 105-d on uplink 405 and downlink 410.

  [0067] In some embodiments, the MTC device 115-g may communicate with the base station 105-d on the uplink 405 through relaying communication through the relay device 120-c. MTC device 115-g and relay device 120-c may participate in the discovery process. When discovery is complete, relay device 120-c receives data to be relayed from discovered MTC device 115-g to base station 105-d via link 145-b, which may be an LTE-D link. Can do. After receiving MTC data from MTC device 115-g, relay device 120-c may then transfer the MTC data to base station 105-d via link 130-b, which may be an LTE link.

  [0068] From an MTC device 115-g perspective, the process for relaying data to the base station 105-d through the relay device 120-c may be described as follows. MTC device 115-g and relay device 120-c may participate in the discovery process. Upon completion of discovery, the MTC device may transmit data to be relayed to the base station 105-d, which data is MTC server such as the MTC server 210 described above with reference to FIGS. 2 and / or 3 One after another can be relayed. MTC device 115-g relays to base station 105-d via link 145-b, which may be a P2P link such as an LTE-D link or other type of WLAN link such as a WiFi-Direct link. Data to be done may first be sent to the relay device 120-c. Relay device 120-c may then forward the MTC data to base station 105-d via link 130-b, which may be LTE or other WLAN link.

  [0069] In some embodiments, base station 105-d may communicate directly with MTC device 115-g on downlink 410, such as via link 125-b. In some cases, link 125-b may be an LTE link as described above, or may implement another radio access technique such as WLAN, 3G. In some cases, the impact on a network such as network 100 may be minimized by enabling direct downlink communication 410 between MTC device 115-g and base station 105-d. The impact on the network may be minimized, for example, by utilizing a smaller amount of resources of the relay device 120-c.

  [0070] In some cases, an MTC device 115-g, a relay device 120-c, and / or a base station 105- for downlink communication between the base station 105-d and the MTC device 115-g. It should be appreciated that d may also be beneficial to be relayed through relay device 120-c.

  [0071] Referring now to FIG. 5, a flowchart 500 illustrates an example in which an MTC device 115-h relays communication to a base station 105-e through a relay device 120-d in accordance with various embodiments. The MTC device 115-h may be an example of the MTC device 115 of FIGS. 1, 2, 3, and / or 4. Relay device 120-d may be an example of the relay device or UE 120 of FIGS. 1, 3 and / or 4. Base station 105-e, which may be a cellular base station, eNB, or WLAN access point, may be an example of base station 105 of FIGS. 1, 2, 3, and / or 4.

  [0072] In some embodiments, the MTC server 210 may, through the base station 105-e, for example request the MTC device 115-h to send data to the MTC server 210 through the base station 105-e. One or more messages 505 may be sent to device 115-h. The data can include, for example, sensors or related data. In other cases, the MTC device 210 may have software updates, modified scheduling of MTC reports, or other operational information to be communicated to the MTC device 115-h through the base station 105-e. 115-h may be notified. Base station 105-e may send one or more messages 505 to MTC device 115-h indicating the need to communicate with MTC device 115-h by base station 105-e and / or MTC server 210. MTC device 115-h then transmits one or more discovery signals 515-a-515-n, such as one or more peer discovery signals, to establish a relay link with relay device 120-d or Can broadcast.

  [0073] In other cases, MTC device 115-h may have data to send to MTC server 210, such as through base station 105-e (510). In some cases, MTC device 115-h may have data to send (510) and may be messaged by base station 105-e at the same time. In either case, MTC device 115-h may then broadcast discovery signals 515-a through 515-n until discovered by relay device 120-d. Relay device 120-d may then discover MTC device 115-h (520). In some cases, if MTC device 115-h is not discovered within a certain time period, eg, 100 seconds, MTC device 115-h may stop broadcasting discovery signal 515 and discover signal at another time. 515 may be broadcast. After relay device 120-d discovers MTC device 115-h (520), relay device 120-d may establish a link 525, such as an LTE link, with base station 105-e. Once link 525 is established, relay device 120-d then passes through MTC device 115-h through base station 105-e, such as via links 130 and 125 described above with reference to FIGS. 1 and / or 3. By routing confirmation message 530 to, it may be confirmed that it acts as a relay for MTC device 115-h. In this way, the MTC device 115-h may receive a confirmation message 530 from the base station 105-e because it may be configured to receive other messages from the base station 105-e. This may also give the base station 105-e control over communication with the MTC device 115-h.

  [0074] In some cases, relay device 120-d may be pre-configured to act as a relay, or a user of relay device 120-d may relay via an interface of relay device 120-d or the like. You can check the availability to work as. In other cases, the relay device 120-d may communicate the confirmation message directly with the MTC device 115-h, eg, via the link 145 described above with reference to FIGS. 1, 3, and / or 4.

  [0075] The MTC device 115-h and the relay device 120-c may then establish a link 535 between them. In some cases, link 535 may be referred to as an access link and link 525 may be referred to as a relay link. The MTC device 115-h may then respond 540 to the initial message 505 of the base station 105-e by first sending a response message 540-a to the relay device 120-d, where the relay device 120-d May then forward the response message 540-b to the base station 105-e. After the relay relationship is confirmed and established, such as through access link 535 and relay link 525, MTC device 115-h may then relay uplink communication 545 to base station 105e through relay device 120-d. This may be accomplished by first transmitting uplink data 545-a to relay device 120-d, and then relay device 120-d forwarding MTC data 545-b to base station 105-e. In some embodiments, access link 535 and relay link 525 may be examples of links 145 and 130 described above with reference to FIGS. Further, transmission of the response message 540-a and the MTC data 545-a from the MTC device 115-h to the relay device 120-d is performed using the link 145 described above with reference to FIGS. Can be achieved. Similarly, transmission of response message 540-b and MTC data 545-b from relay device 120-d to base station 105-e has also been described above with reference to FIGS. 1, 3, and / or 4 This can be achieved via link 130.

  [0076] In some embodiments, such as base station 105-e sends a message to MTC device 115-h using instructions from MTC server 210 (505), base station 105-e then directly Updates or other operational information 550 may be sent to the MTC device 115-h. In some cases, base station 105-e may send other messages or data 550 directly to MTC device 115-h.

  [0077] Referring now to FIG. 6, a flowchart 600 illustrates an example in which an MTC device 115-i relays communication to a base station 105-f through a relay device 120-e in accordance with various embodiments. The MTC device 115-i may be an example of the MTC device 115 of FIGS. 1, 2, 3, 4, and / or 5. Relay device 120-e may be an example of the relay device or UE 120 of FIGS. 1, 3, 4, and / or 5. Base station 105-f, which may be a cellular base station, eNB, or WLAN access point, may be an example of base station 105 of FIGS. 1, 2, 3, 4, and / or 5.

  [0078] In some embodiments, a relay device 120-e configured to act as a relay for MTC communication may include one or more discovery signals 606-a, such as one or more peer discovery signals. ˜606-n may be broadcast to the MTC device 115-i. This may be done periodically by the relay device 120-e or when the relay device 120-e detects that the MTC device 115-i is in the vicinity, for example. In other cases, the MTC server 210 may send one or more messages 605 to the relay device 120-e through the base station 105-f and then forward to the MTC device 115-i. After receiving message 605 from base station 105-f, relay device 120-e goes to MTC device 115-i to establish a connection for communicating information from base station 105-f to MTC device 115-i. One or more discovery signals 606-a-606-n may be transmitted.

  [0079] In some embodiments, the MTC device 115-i receives the discovery signal 606 sent from the relay device 120-e before, simultaneously with, or immediately after receiving it. May have data to send (605). In other cases, MTC device 115-i may not have data to transmit when it receives discovery signal 606 from relay device 120-e, or close in time. In any case, the MTC device 115-i then sends a discovery request sent by the relay device 120-e to confirm the establishment of the link between the MTC device 115-i and the relay device 120-e. It may be decided to respond (615).

  [0080] As described above with reference to FIG. 5, relay device 120-e then discovers (620) MTC device 115-i and establishes link 625 with base station 105-f. Confirms that relay device 120-e acts as a relay for MTC device 115-i by routing confirmation message 630 to MTC device 115-i through base station 105-f, and A link 635 may be established. The MTC device 115-i then communicates with the relay device 120-e by sending a response message 640 and then the communication uplink data 645 to the base station 105-f as described with reference to FIG. The base station 105-f can be confirmed that the relay link is established. Sending the response message 640 to the base station 105-f first sends the message 640-a to the relay device 120-e and then forwards the message 640-b to the base station 105-f by the relay device 120-e. May be included. Similarly, uplink data may be first communicated to relay device 120-e (645-a) and then communicated to base station 105-f by relay device 120-e (645-b). In addition, base station 105-f may communicate directly with MTC device 115-i on downlink 650.

  [0081] In some cases, the link 625 with the base station 105-f established by the relay device 120-e is the link 130 described above with reference to FIGS. Can be an example. The establishment of the link 635 between the MTC device 115-i and the relay device 120-e may be an example of the link 145 similarly described with reference to FIGS. Routing the confirmation message 630 by the relay device 120-e through the base station 105-f to the MTC device 115-i is established via the links 130 and 125 described above with reference to FIGS. 1 and / or 3. obtain.

  [0082] FIG. 7 shows a block diagram 700 of a device 120-f, which may be a relay device, for relaying communications from the MTC device 115 to the base station 105, according to various embodiments. Device 120-f may be an example of one or more aspects of relay device 120 described above with reference to FIGS. 1, 3, 4, 5, and / or 6. Device 120-f may also be a processor. The device 120-f may include a relay device receiver 705, a relay module 710, and / or a relay device transmitter 715. Each of these components can communicate with each other.

  [0083] The relay device receiver 705 may receive information, such as packets, data, and / or signaling information regarding what the device 120-f has received or transmitted. The received information can be utilized by the relay module 710 for various purposes. In some cases, relay device receiver 705 may receive data from MTC device 115, for example, to further enable the various techniques described above for relaying communications from MTC device 115 to base station 105. Or it may be configured to receive a transmission.

  [0084] The relay device transmitter 715 may similarly transmit information such as packets, data, and / or signaling information from the device 120-f. In some cases, relay device transmitter 715 is configured to send data, such as MTC data, for relay from MTC device 115 to base station 105 in accordance with various embodiments described herein. obtain.

  [0085] In particular, the relay device receiver 705 may receive one or more peer discovery signals from the MTC device 115. Relay device receiver 705 may then communicate one or more peer discovery signals to relay module 710. The relay module 710 composes a response message indicating that the device 120-f is available to act as a relay for the MTC device 115 and sends the response message to the relay device transmitter for sending to the MTC device 115. 715 may be communicated to. The relay device receiver 705 can then receive a request from the MTC device to act as a relay and communicate the request to the relay module 710. The relay module 710 may then confirm that the relay is about to be established.

  [0086] In other embodiments, the device 120-f may initiate discovery with the MTC device 115. In this case, the relay module 710 may communicate the discovery signal to the relay device transmitter 715 to configure one or more peer discovery signals and send them to the MTC device 115. The relay device receiver 705 may receive a request from the MTC device 115 to act as a relay, for example, when the MTC device 115 has data to transmit to the base station 105. The relay device receiver can then communicate the request to the relay module 710. The relay module 710 may compose a message indicating to the MTC device 115 that the device 120-f will act as a relay and communicate that message to the relay device transmitter for transmission to the MTC device 115.

  [0087] In either of the MTC device 115 initiated or relay device 120-f initiated discovery embodiments, the relay module 710 routes the message through the relay device transmitter 715 and through the base station 105 to message. May be communicated, eg, transmitted, to the MTC device 115.

  [0088] Once the relay relationship is confirmed between relay device 120-f and MTC device 115, relay device 705 was then discovered, such as through a peer-to-peer (P2P) link, to relay to base station 105. Data may be received from the MTC device 115. The relay device receiver 705 may then communicate the data to the relay module 710 so that the relay module 710 may configure the data to be transmitted to the base station 105. Relay module 710 may then communicate data to be relayed to relay device transmitter 715 for transmission to base station 105.

  [0089] FIG. 8 shows a block diagram 800 illustrating one embodiment of a relay module 710-a. The relay module 710-a may be an example of the relay module 710 in FIG. In one example, the relay module 710-a may include an MTC discovery module 805, a first link establishment module 810, a second link establishment module 815, and / or a relay coordination module 820.

  [0090] In particular, the MTC discovery module 805 communicates with the relay device receiver 705 and transmitter 715 described above with reference to FIG. 7 and communicates to the MTC device 115 to establish a communication link with the MTC device 115. One or more discovery messages to be communicated may be configured. The communication link may be an example of the links 145, 535, and / or 635 described above with reference to FIGS. 1, 3, 4, 5, and / or 6. Because the discovery process has already been described in detail above with reference to FIGS. 5, 6 and 7, it will not be described again here for the sake of brevity.

  [0091] Once the devices 120-f and the MTC device 115 have discovered each other, the MTC discovery module 805 is configured to initiate a link for relaying data from the MTC device 115 to the base station 105. 810 and the second link establishment module 815 may be communicated. The first link establishment module 810 may then establish a first link with the MTC device 115 along with the relay device transmitter and receiver 715, 705. The first link may be an example of the links 145, 535, and / or 635 described above with reference to FIGS. 1, 3, 4, 5, and / or 6. The second link establishment module 815 may also establish a second link with the base station 105 along with the relay device transmitter and receivers 715, 705. The second link may be an example of the links 130, 525, and / or 625 described above with reference to FIGS. 1, 3, 4, 5, and / or 6.

  [0092] Once the first and second links are established, the first and second link establishment modules 810, 815 contact the relay coordination module 820 to begin relaying data from the MTC device 115 to the base station 105. Can direct. Relay coordination module 820 may then receive data to be relayed from MTC device 115 via relay device receiver 705 and relay the data to base station 105 via relay device transmitter 715. The relay device receiver 705 may receive data from the MTC device 115 via the first link and may transmit data to the base station via the second link.

  [0093] FIG. 9 shows a block diagram 900 of a device 115-j that may be an MTC device for relaying communications to a base station 105 through a relay device 120, according to various embodiments. Device 115-j may be an example of one or more aspects of MTC device 115 described above with reference to FIGS. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and / or 6. Device 115-j may also be a processor. Device 115-j may include an MTC receiver 905, a data management module 910, and / or an MTC transmitter 915. Each of these components can communicate with each other.

  [0094] The MTC receiver 905 may receive information, such as packets, data, and / or signaling information regarding what the device 115-j has received or transmitted. The received information can be utilized by the data management module 910 for various purposes. In some cases, the MTC receiver 905 may receive data or data from the relay device 120, for example, to further enable the various techniques described above for relaying communications to the base station 105 through the relay device 120. It may be configured to receive a transmission.

  [0095] The MTC transmitter 915 may transmit information such as packets, data, and / or signaling information from the device 115-j as well. In some cases, the MTC transmitter 915 may be configured to send uplink data according to various embodiments described herein, such as through the relay device 120 to the base station 105.

  [0096] In particular, the MTC receiver 905 may be configured to receive one or more discovery signals from the relay device 120. The MTC receiver 905 may then communicate one or more discovery signals to the data management module 910. Data management module 910 then responds to one or more received discovery signals, such as requesting relay device 120 to serve as a relay for uplink communication to base station 105. Can be configured. Data management module 910 may then communicate a response message to MTC transmitter 915 for transmission to relay device 120.

  [0097] In some cases, for example, when the MTC device 115-j initiates a discovery process with the relay device 120, the data management module 910 may include one or more peer discovery signals, such as one or more peer discovery signals. Multiple discovery signals may be configured. Data management module 910 may communicate discovery signals to MTC transmitter 915 for broadcast to one or more relay devices 120. In this scenario, MTC device 905 may then receive confirmation from relay device 120 that it acts as a relay.

  [0098] In any case, once the discovery process between MTC device 115-j and relay device 120 is complete, data management module 910 compiles the data to be relayed to base station 105 through relay device 120. And / or may be configured. Data management module 910 may then communicate this data to MTC transmitter 915 for transmission to relay device 120.

  [0099] FIG. 10 is a block diagram 1000 illustrating one embodiment of data management 910-a. The data management 910-a may be an example of the data management 910 in FIG. In one example, the data management 910-a may include a relay device discovery module 1005 and / or a link establishment module 1010.

  [0100] The relay device discovery module 1005 configures and coordinates discovery communication with the relay device 120 via the MTC transmitter and receiver 915, 905 of the device 115-j, as described with reference to FIG. Can do. This may include configuring discovery signals and / or discovery response signals, as described in more detail with reference to FIGS. Upon completion of discovery with relay device 120, relay device discovery module 1005 may communicate to link establishment module 1010 that a relay can now be established.

  [0101] The link establishment module 1010 may then coordinate with the MTC transmitter 915 and the MTC receiver 905 to establish a peer-to-peer connection with the relay device 120. Link establishment module 1010 may then communicate with MTC transmitter 915 to send uplink data to relay device 120 to be relayed to base station 105.

  [0102] FIG. 11 shows a block diagram 1100 of a relay device 120-g configured to relay communications from the MTC device 115 to the base station 105, according to various embodiments. The relay device 120-g may have various configurations, such as a personal computer (eg, a laptop computer, a netbook computer, a tablet computer), a mobile phone, a PDA, a digital video recorder (DVR), an Internet device, a game console. , May be included in or part of an electronic reader, etc. The relay device 120-g may in some cases have an internal power source (not shown) such as a small battery to facilitate mobile operation. In some embodiments, the relay device 120-g may include one or more aspects of one of the devices 120 described with reference to FIGS. 1, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, and / or 8. Can be an example. The relay device 120-g may be configured to implement at least some of the features and functions described with reference to FIGS. 4, 5, and / or 6.

  [0103] The relay device 120-g may include a relay module 710-b, a processor module 1105, a memory module 1110, at least one transceiver module 1115, at least one antenna 1120, and / or a communication management module 1125. Each of these components may communicate directly or indirectly with each other.

  [0104] The memory module 1110 may include random access memory (RAM) and / or read only memory (ROM). The memory module 1110, when executed, includes instructions configured to cause the processor module 1105 to perform various functions described herein for communicating via a wireless communication system. Executable software (SW) code 1130 may be stored. Alternatively, the software code 1130 may not be directly executable by the processor module 1105, but may be one of the functions described herein for the relay device 120-g (eg, when compiled and executed). Some may be configured to implement.

  [0105] The processor module 1105 may include an intelligent hardware device, for example, a central processing unit (CPU) such as an ARM®-based processor, microcontroller, ASIC. The processor module 1105 may process information received through the transceiver module 1115 and / or information to be sent to the transceiver module 1115 for transmission via the antenna 1120. The processor module 1105 may process various aspects of communicating via a wireless communication system and / or detecting a communication network, either alone or in conjunction with the MTC module 1125.

  [0106] The transceiver module 1115 may include a modem configured to modulate the packet, provide the modulated packet to the antenna 1120 for transmission, and demodulate the packet received from the antenna 1120. The transceiver module 1115 may optionally be implemented as one or more transmitter modules and one or more separate receiver modules. The transceiver module 1115 may support communication in a first spectrum, such as a WWAN or cellular spectrum, and in a second spectrum, such as a WLAN spectrum. The transceiver module 1115 may be one of the MTC device 115 or base station 105 (eg, eNB and / or WLAN access point) described with reference to FIGS. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, and / or 9. One or more may be configured to communicate bi-directionally via antenna 1120. Although relay device 120-g may include a single antenna, there may also be embodiments where relay device 120-g may include multiple UE antennas 1120.

  [0107] The relay device 120-g may also include a power amplifier 1135 that allows the relay device 120-g to communicate with, for example, more base stations 105 over a longer distance than, for example, the MTC device 115. Since the relay device 120-g may have a longer range communication than the MTC device 115, for example, to extend the base station 105 that the MTC device 115 can communicate with, which is longer than the MTC device 115, the MTC It may be beneficial for device 115 to relay communications via relay device 120-g.

  [0108] The components of relay device 120-g may be configured to implement the aspects described above with respect to device 120 of FIGS. 1, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, and / or 8, Therefore, it does not have to be repeated here. For example, the relay module 710-b may include functions similar to the relay module 710 of FIGS. 7 and / or 8.

  [0109] In some embodiments, the transmitter module 1115, in conjunction with the antenna 1120, cooperates with other possible components of the relay device 120-g to receive transmissions from one or more MTC devices 115. The uplink data may be transmitted from the MTC device 115 to the base station 105 or the core network 140 using the resources of one or more relay devices 120. In some embodiments, the transceiver module 1115 cooperates with the antenna 1120 and other possible components of the relay device 120-g, such as the power amplifier 1135, so that the relay device 120-g has one or more A transmission from the MTC device 115 may be received, allowing uplink data to be transmitted from the MTC device 115 to the base station 105 or the core network 140. In some cases, relay device 120-g, MTC device 115, base station 105, and / or core network 140 may utilize flexible waveforms.

  [0110] FIG. 12 is a block diagram 1200 of an MTC device 115-k configured to relay communications, particularly uplink communications, through the relay device 120 to the base station 105, according to various embodiments. The MTC device 115-k may have any of a variety of configurations, such as sensors or monitors 1235 for the various MTC applications described above. The MTC device 115-k may have an internal power source (not shown) such as a small battery to facilitate mobile operation. In some embodiments, MTC device 115-k may be an example of one or more aspects of MTC device 115 of FIGS. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 9, and / or 10. And / or aspects thereof may be incorporated. The MTC device 115-k may be a multi-mode mobile device. The MTC device 115-k may be referred to as an MTC UE or M2M device in some cases.

  [0111] The MTC device 115-k may include a data management module 910-b, an antenna 1220, a transceiver module 1215, a memory 1210, and a processor module 1205, each directly or indirectly with respect to each other. (E.g., via one or more buses). The transceiver module 1215 may be configured to communicate bi-directionally with one or more networks, via the antenna 1220 and / or one or more wired or wireless links, as described above. . For example, the transceiver module 1215 may be configured to communicate bi-directionally with the base station 105 of FIGS. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and / or 6. The transceiver module 1215 may include a modem configured to modulate the packet, provide the modulated packet to the antenna 1220 for transmission, and demodulate the packet received from the antenna 1220. The MTC device 115-k may include a single antenna 1220, but the MTC device 115-k may include multiple antennas 1220 for multiple transmission links.

  [0112] The memory 1210 may include random access memory (RAM) and read only memory (ROM). Memory 1210 includes computer-readable instructions that, when executed, include instructions configured to cause processor module 1205 to perform various functions described herein (eg, data acquisition, database management, message routing, etc.). Computer executable software code 1230 may be stored. Alternatively, software code 1230 may not be directly executable by processor module 1205 but is configured to cause a computer to perform the functions described herein (eg, when compiled and executed). obtain.

  [0113] The processor module 1205 may be a central processing unit (CPU) such as, for example, those manufactured by Intel (R) Corporation, AMD (R), or ARM (R) based processors, microcontrollers, specific It may include intelligent hardware devices such as application specific integrated circuits (ASICs).

  [0114] According to the architecture of FIG. 12, the MTC device 115-k may further include a communication management module 1225. Communication management module 1225 may manage communication with base station 105, other MTC devices 115, and / or relay device 120. By way of example, the communication management module 1225 may be a component of the MTC device 115-k that communicates with some or all of the other components of the MTC device 115-k via a bus. Alternatively, the functionality of the communication management module 1225 may be implemented as a component of the transceiver module 1215, as a computer program product, and / or as one or more controller elements of the processor module 1205.

  [0115] The components of the relay device 115-k may be configured to implement the aspects described above with respect to the device 115 of Figures 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 9, and / or 10. However, for brevity, it need not be repeated here. For example, the data management module 910-b may include functions similar to the data management modules 910, 910-a of FIGS.

  [0116] In some embodiments, transmitter module 1215 cooperates with antenna 1220 and other possible components of MTC device 115-k to receive transmissions from one or more relay devices 120. The uplink data may be transmitted to the base station 105 or the core network 140 using the resources of one or more relay devices. In some embodiments, the transmitter module 1215 may cooperate with other possible components of the MTC device 115-k along with the antenna 1220 to receive transmissions from one or more relay devices 120, Uplink data may be transmitted to the base station 105 or the core network 140 so that the devices or systems may utilize flexible waveforms.

  [0117] In some embodiments, the MTC device 115-k may not have a power amplifier. In other cases, the MTC device 115-k may have a limited power amplifier compared to a standard UE power amplifier capable of 20 dB, for example, a 1-3 dB power amplifier (not shown). In either case, the communication range of the MTC device 115-k may be limited. For this reason and other reasons, the ability of the MTC device 115-k to communicate uplink information to, for example, the base station 105 or the MTC server 210 may be limited. As a result, the techniques described above for relaying communication from MTC device 115-k through relay device 120 may improve uplink communication for MTC device 115-k.

  [0118] FIG. 13 is a flowchart illustrating an example method 1300 for relaying communication from the MTC device 115 to the base station 105 through the relay device 120, according to various embodiments. For clarity, the method 1300 is described below with respect to one or more aspects of one of the relay devices 120 described with reference to FIGS. 1, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, and / or 11. I will explain it. In some embodiments, a device such as one of the relay devices 120 executes one or more sets of code to control the functional elements of the device to perform the functions described below. Can do.

  [0119] At block 1305, the relay device 120 may participate in the discovery process to discover the MTC device. The operations in block 1305 were optionally described with reference to the relay module 710 described with reference to FIGS. 7 and / or 8, the MTC discovery module 805 described with reference to FIG. 8, and / or with reference to FIG. It can be implemented using relay device receivers and / or transmitters 705, 715.

  [0120] At block 1310, data from the discovered MTC device may be received. The operations in block 1310 may optionally include the relay module 710 described with reference to FIGS. 7 and / or 8, the first link establishment module 810 and / or relay coordination module 820 described with reference to FIG. 8, and / Or may be implemented using the relay device receiver 705 described with reference to FIG.

  [0121] At block 1315, data from the MTC device may be relayed to the second device. The operations in block 1315 may optionally include the relay module 710 described with reference to FIGS. 7 and / or 8, the second link establishment module 815 and / or relay coordination module 820 described with reference to FIG. / Or may be implemented using the relay device transmitter 715 described with reference to FIG.

  [0122] Accordingly, the method 1300 may result in relaying communication from the MTC device to the base station 105 through the relay device 120. Note that the method 1300 is only one implementation and the operation of the method 1300 may be reconfigured or otherwise modified to allow other implementations.

  [0123] FIG. 14 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a method 1400 for relaying communication from an MTC device 115 to a base station 105 through a relay device 120, according to various embodiments. For clarity, the method 1400 is described below with respect to one or more aspects of one of the relay devices 120 described with reference to FIGS. 1, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, and / or 11. I will explain it. In some embodiments, a device, such as one of the relay devices 120, uses one or more sets of codes to control functional elements of the device 120 to perform the functions described below. Can be executed.

  [0124] In one configuration, the relay device 120 may initiate the discovery process, as shown in blocks 1405-1415. At block 1405, a peer discovery signal may be broadcast to indicate availability for acting as a relay. The operations in block 1405 were optionally described with reference to the relay module 710 described with reference to FIGS. 7 and / or 8, the MTC discovery module 805 described with reference to FIG. 8, and / or with reference to FIG. It can be implemented using a relay device transmitter 715.

  [0125] At block 1410, a request to act as a relay may be received from the MTC device. The operations in block 1410 were optionally described with reference to the relay module 710 described with reference to FIGS. 7 and / or 8, the MTC discovery module 805 described with reference to FIG. 8, and / or with reference to FIG. It can be implemented using a relay device receiver 705.

  [0126] At block 1415, a message may be sent to the MTC device to confirm that the device acts as a relay. The operations in block 1415 may optionally include a relay module 710 described with reference to FIGS. 7 and / or 8, a second link establishment module 815 and / or relay coordination module 820 described with reference to FIG. 8, and / Or may be implemented using the relay device transmitter 715 described with reference to FIG.

  [0127] In one embodiment, the MTC device 115 may initiate the discovery process, as shown in blocks 1420-1430. Accordingly, at block 1420, a peer discovery signal may be received from the MTC device. The operations in block 1420 were optionally described with reference to the relay module 710 described with reference to FIGS. 7 and / or 8, the MTC discovery module 805 described with reference to FIG. 8, and / or with reference to FIG. It can be implemented using a relay device receiver 705.

  [0128] At block 1425, a paging signal may be sent indicating that the relay device is available to act as a relay for the MTC device. The operations in block 1425 were optionally described with reference to relay module 710 described with reference to FIGS. 7 and / or 8, MTC discovery module 805 described with reference to FIG. 8, and / or with reference to FIG. It can be implemented using a relay device transmitter 715.

  [0129] At block 1430, a request from an MTC device seeking to act as a relay may be received. The operations in block 1430 were optionally described with reference to the relay module 710 described with reference to FIGS. 7 and / or 8, the MTC discovery module 805 described with reference to FIG. 8, and / or with reference to FIG. It can be implemented using a relay device receiver 705.

  [0130] After the discovery process is complete, such as at block 1415 or block 1430, a first peer-to-peer connection with the MTC device may be established at block 1435. The operations in block 1435 may refer to the relay module 710 described with reference to FIGS. 7 and / or 8, the first link establishment module 810 described with reference to FIG. 8, and / or FIG. However, it may be implemented using the relay device receiver and / or transmitters 705, 715 described above.

  [0131] At block 1440, a second connection with another device may be established. The operations in block 1440 may refer to the relay module 710 described with reference to FIGS. 7 and / or 8, the second link establishment module 815 described with reference to FIG. 8, and / or FIG. However, it may be implemented using the relay device receiver and / or transmitters 705, 715 described above.

  [0132] At block 1445, data from the discovered MTC device may be received. The operations in block 1445 were optionally described with reference to relay module 710 described with reference to FIGS. 7 and / or 8, relay adjustment module 820 described with reference to FIG. 8, and / or with reference to FIG. It can be implemented using a relay device receiver 705.

  [0133] At block 1450, data from the MTC device may be relayed to other devices. The operations in block 1450 were optionally described with reference to relay module 710 described with reference to FIGS. 7 and / or 8, relay adjustment module 820 described with reference to FIG. 8, and / or with reference to FIG. It can be implemented using a relay device transmitter 715.

  [0134] Accordingly, the method 1400 may result in relaying communication from the MTC device to the base station 105 through the relay device 120. Note that method 1400 is only one implementation and the operation of method 1400 may be reconfigured or otherwise modified to allow other implementations.

  [0135] FIG. 15 is a flowchart illustrating an example method 1500 for relaying communications from the MTC device 115 to the base station 105 through the relay device 120, according to various embodiments. For clarity, one of the devices 115 (eg, MTC devices) described with reference to FIGS. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 9, 10, and / or 12 for the method 1500 is shown. One or more aspects are described below. In some embodiments, a device, such as one of the devices 115, executes one or more sets of code to control the functional elements of the device to perform the functions described below. obtain.

  [0136] At block 1505, the MTC device may participate in the discovery process with the first device. The operations in block 1505 may optionally be performed with reference to the data management module 910 described with reference to FIGS. 9 and / or 10, the relay device discovery module 1005 described with reference to FIG. 10, and / or with reference to FIG. It may be implemented using the described MTC receiver and / or transmitter 905, 915.

  [0137] At block 1510, data may be transmitted to the first device for relay to the second device. The operations in block 1510 are optionally described with reference to data management module 910 described with reference to FIGS. 9 and / or 10, link establishment module 1010 described with reference to FIG. 10, and / or with reference to FIG. Implemented MTC transmitter 915. The first device can be the relay device 120 and the second device can be the base station 105.

  [0138] Accordingly, the method 1500 may result in relaying communication from the MTC device to the base station 105 through the relay device 120. Note that method 1500 is only one implementation and the operation of method 1500 can be reconfigured or otherwise modified to allow other implementations.

  [0139] FIG. 16 is a flowchart illustrating an example method 1600 for relaying communication from the MTC device 115 to the base station 105 through the relay device 120, according to various embodiments. For clarity, one of the devices 115 (eg, MTC devices) described with reference to FIGS. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 9, 10, and / or 12 for the method 1600 is shown. One or more aspects are described below. In some embodiments, a device, such as one of the devices 115, executes one or more sets of code to control the functional elements of the device to perform the functions described below. obtain.

  [0140] In one embodiment, the MTC device may initiate the discovery process with the relay device, as shown in blocks 1605-1610. At block 1605, the MTC device 115 may broadcast a peer discovery signal to the first device to request that the first device act as a relay. The operations in block 1605 may optionally be performed with reference to the data management module 910 described with reference to FIGS. 9 and / or 10, the relay device discovery module 1005 described with reference to FIG. 10, and / or with reference to FIG. It can be implemented using the described MTC transmitter 915.

  [0141] At block 1610, a message may be received from the first device indicating that the first device is available to act as a relay. The operations in block 1610 may in some cases refer to the data management module 910 described with reference to FIGS. 9 and / or 10, the relay device discovery module 1005 described with reference to FIG. 10, and / or with reference to FIG. It can be implemented using the described MTC receiver 905.

  [0142] In one configuration, the MTC device 115 may participate in a discovery process initiated by the relay device. For example, at block 1615, a peer discovery signal may be received from the first device indicating that the first device is available to act as a relay for the MTC device. The operations in block 1605 may optionally be performed with reference to the data management module 910 described with reference to FIGS. 9 and / or 10, the relay device discovery module 1005 described with reference to FIG. 10, and / or with reference to FIG. It can be implemented using the described MTC receiver 905.

  [0143] At block 1620, a message may be sent to the first device to confirm that the MTC has data to relay to the second device via the first device. The operations in block 1620 may in some cases refer to the data management module 910 described with reference to FIGS. 9 and / or 10, the relay device discovery module 1005 described with reference to FIG. 10, and / or with reference to FIG. It can be implemented using the described MTC transmitter 915.

  [0144] After the discovery process is complete, such as at block 1610 or block 1620, a peer-to-peer connection with the first device may be established at block 1625. The operations in block 1625 are optionally described with reference to the data management module 910 described with reference to FIGS. 9 and / or 10, the link establishment module 1010 described with reference to FIG. 10, and / or with reference to FIG. MTC receivers and / or transmitters 905, 915 may be used.

  [0145] At block 1630, data may be transmitted to the first device via a peer-to-peer connection to relay to the second device. The operations in block 1630 are optionally described with reference to the data management module 910 described with reference to FIGS. 9 and / or 10, the link establishment module 1010 described with reference to FIG. 10, and / or with reference to FIG. Implemented MTC transmitter 915.

  [0146] At block 1635, downlink communication may be received directly from the second device. The operations in block 1635 may optionally be performed using the data management module 910 described with reference to FIGS. 9 and / or 10 and / or the MTC receiver 905 described with reference to FIG. The first device can be the relay device 120 and the second device can be the base station 105.

  [0147] Accordingly, the method 1600 may result in relaying communication from the MTC device to the base station 105 through the relay device 120. Note that method 1600 is only one implementation and the operation of method 1600 can be reconfigured or otherwise modified to allow other implementations. One or more aspects of the methods 1300, 1400, 1500, and / or 1600 may be optionally combined.

  [0148] The techniques described herein may be used for various wireless communication systems such as CDMA, TDMA, FDMA, OFDMA, SC-FDMA, and other systems. The terms “system” and “network” are often used interchangeably. A CDMA system may implement a radio technology such as CDMA2000, Universal Terrestrial Radio Access (UTRA). CDMA2000 includes IS-2000, IS-95 and IS-856 standards. IS-2000 Release 0 and A are commonly referred to as CDMA2000 1X, 1X, etc. IS-856 (TIA-856) is usually called CDMA2000 1xEV-DO, High Rate Packet Data (HRPD), or the like. UTRA includes Wideband CDMA (WCDMA®) and other variants of CDMA. A TDMA system may implement a radio technology such as Global System for Mobile Communication (GSM). The OFDMA system implements wireless technologies such as Ultra Mobile Broadband (UMB), Evolved UTRA (E-UTRA), IEEE802.11 (Wi-Fi), IEEE802.16 (WiMAX), IEEE802.20, and Flash-OFDM □. Can do. UTRA and E-UTRA are part of Universal Mobile Telecommunication System (UMTS). 3GPP® Long Term Evolution (LTE) and LTE Advanced (LTE-A) are new releases of UMTS that use E-UTRA. UTRA, E-UTRA, UMTS, LTE, LTE-A and GSM are described in documents from an organization named “3rd Generation Partnership Project” (3GPP). CDMA2000 and UMB are described in documents from an organization named “3rd Generation Partnership Project 2” (3GPP2). The techniques described herein may be used for the systems and radio technologies mentioned above as well as other systems and radio technologies. However, in the above description, an LTE system is described as an example, and LTE terminology is used in most of the above description, but the present technique is applicable to other than the LTE application example.

  [0149] Information and signals may be represented using any of a wide variety of techniques and techniques. For example, data, instructions, commands, information, signals, bits, symbols, and chips that may be referred to throughout the above description are voltages, currents, electromagnetic waves, magnetic fields or magnetic particles, light fields or optical particles, or May be represented by any combination.

  [0150] The various exemplary blocks and modules described in connection with the disclosure herein are for one or more specific applications adapted to perform some or all of the functions applicable in hardware. It may be implemented or implemented individually or collectively using an integrated circuit (ASIC). Alternatively, those functions may be performed by one or more other processing units (or cores), such as general purpose processors or digital signal processors (DSPs), and / or on one or more integrated circuits. . A general purpose processor may be a microprocessor, any conventional processor, controller, microcontroller, state machine, or combination thereof. The processor may also be implemented as a combination of computing devices, eg, a DSP and microprocessor combination, a plurality of microprocessors, one or more microprocessors associated with a DSP core, or any other such configuration. . In other embodiments, other types of integrated circuits (eg, structured / platform ASICs, field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), and other semi-custom ICs that can be programmed in any manner known in the art. ) Can be used. The functionality of each block and module is also implemented in whole or in part using instructions embedded in memory formatted to be executed by one or more general purpose or application specific processors. obtain.

  [0151] The functions described herein may be implemented in hardware, software executed by a processor, firmware, or any combination thereof. If implemented in software executed by a processor, the functions may be stored on a computer-readable medium or transmitted as one or more instructions or code over the computer-readable medium. Other examples and implementations are within the scope and spirit of this disclosure and the appended claims. For example, due to the nature of software, the functions described above may be implemented by software executed by a processor, hardware, firmware, hardwiring, or combinations thereof. Features that implement functions can also be physically located at various locations, including being distributed such that some of the functions are implemented at different physical locations. Also, as used herein, including the claims, “or” used in a list of items ending with “at least one of” is, for example, “A, B, or An enumeration such that an enumeration of “at least one of C” means A or B or C or AB or AC or BC or ABC (ie A and B and C).

  [0152] Computer-readable media includes both computer storage media and communication media including any medium that facilitates transfer of a computer program from one position to another. A storage media may be any available media that can be accessed by a general purpose or special purpose computer. By way of example, and not limitation, computer-readable storage media is in the form of RAM, ROM, EEPROM, CD-ROM, or other optical disk storage, magnetic disk storage or other magnetic storage device, or instructions or data structures. It can be used to carry or store the desired program code means and can comprise a general purpose or special purpose computer, or any other medium that can be accessed by a general purpose or special purpose processor. Also, any connection is properly termed a computer-readable medium. For example, the software can use a coaxial cable, fiber optic cable, twisted pair, digital subscriber line (DSL), or wireless technology such as infrared, wireless, and microwave, from a website, server, or other remote source When transmitted, coaxial technologies, fiber optic cables, twisted pair, DSL, or wireless technologies such as infrared, radio, and microwave are included in the definition of transmission media. Discs and discs used herein are compact discs (CDs), laser discs (discs), optical discs (discs), digital versatile discs (discs) DVD), floppy disk, and Blu-ray disk, where the disk typically reproduces data magnetically while the disk ( disc) optically reproduces data with a laser. Combinations of the above are also included within the scope of computer-readable media.

  [0153] The detailed description set forth above in conjunction with the accompanying drawings is provided to enable any person skilled in the art to make or use the present disclosure. Various modifications of the present disclosure will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art, and the generic principles defined herein may be applied to other variations without departing from the spirit or scope of the present disclosure. Throughout this disclosure, the term “example” or “exemplary” indicates an example or instance, and does not imply or require any preference for the mentioned example. The detailed description includes specific details for the purpose of providing an understanding of the techniques described. However, these techniques can be practiced without these specific details. In some instances, well-known structures and devices are shown in block diagram form in order to avoid obscuring the concepts of the described embodiments. Accordingly, the present disclosure should not be limited to the examples and designs described herein, but should be accorded the widest scope consistent with the principles and novel features disclosed herein.

[0153] The detailed description set forth above in conjunction with the accompanying drawings is provided to enable any person skilled in the art to make or use the present disclosure. Various modifications of the present disclosure will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art, and the generic principles defined herein may be applied to other variations without departing from the spirit or scope of the present disclosure. Throughout this disclosure, the term “example” or “exemplary” indicates an example or instance, and does not imply or require any preference for the mentioned example. The detailed description includes specific details for the purpose of providing an understanding of the techniques described. However, these techniques can be practiced without these specific details. In some instances, well-known structures and devices are shown in block diagram form in order to avoid obscuring the concepts of the described embodiments. Accordingly, the present disclosure should not be limited to the examples and designs described herein, but should be accorded the widest scope consistent with the principles and novel features disclosed herein.
Hereinafter, the invention described in the scope of claims of the present application will be appended.
[C1]
A method of wireless communication implemented in a first device comprising:
Participating in a discovery process to discover machine type communication (MTC) devices;
Receiving data from the discovered MTC device at the first device;
Relaying the data from the MTC device to a second device by the first device;
A method comprising:
[C2]
Establishing a first peer-to-peer connection with the MTC device;
Establishing a second connection with the second device;
The method of C1, further comprising:
[C3]
The method of C1, wherein participating in the discovery process with the MTC device comprises broadcasting a peer discovery signal to indicate availability to act as a relay by the first device.
[C4]
Receiving a request from the MTC device to act as the relay;
Sending a message to the MTC device to confirm that the first device acts as the relay;
The method of C3, further comprising:
[C5]
Sending a message to the MTC device to confirm that the first device acts as the relay comprises routing the message to the MTC device via the second device to C4. The method described.
[C6]
The method of C1, wherein joining the discovery process with the MTC device comprises receiving a peer discovery signal from the MTC device.
[C7]
Sending a message to the MTC device, the message indicating that the first device is available to act as a relay;
Receiving a request from the MTC device to act as the relay;
The method of C6, further comprising:
[C8]
The method of C7, wherein sending the message to the MTC device comprises routing the message to the MTC device via the second device.
[C9]
The method of C1, wherein relaying data from the MTC device to the second device comprises relaying uplink data from the MTC device to the second device.
[C10]
The method of C1, wherein the second device communicates directly on the downlink with the MTC device.
[C11]
The method of C1, wherein the second device is a cellular base station.
[C12]
The method of C1, wherein the second device is a wireless local area network (WLAN) access point.
[C13]
A device for relaying MTC data,
A processor;
A memory in electronic communication with the processor;
Instructions stored in the memory;
The instruction comprises:
Participate in the discovery process to discover machine type communication (MTC) devices,
Receiving data from the discovered MTC device;
A device executable by the processor to relay the data from the MTC device to a second device.
[C14]
The instructions are
Establishing a first peer-to-peer connection with the MTC device;
The device of C13, executable by the processor to establish a second connection with the second device.
[C15]
The device of C13, wherein the instructions are executable by the processor to send one or more messages to the MTC device by routing through the second device.
[C16]
The device of C13, wherein the second device communicates directly on the downlink with the MTC device.
[C17]
A method of wireless communication implemented by a machine type communication (MTC) device comprising:
Participating in the discovery process with the first device;
Sending data by the MTC device to the first device for relay to a second device;
A method comprising:
[C18]
Further comprising establishing a peer-to-peer connection with the first device;
The method of C17, wherein transmitting data to the first device for relay to a second device is by the peer-to-peer connection.
[C19]
The method of C17, wherein participating in the discovery process with the first device comprises broadcasting a peer discovery signal to request the first device to act as a relay.
[C20]
The method of C19, further comprising receiving a message from the first device, wherein the message indicates that the first device is available to act as the relay.
[C21]
The method of C20, wherein the MTC device receives the message from the first device by routing through the second device.
[C22]
Participating in the discovery process with the first device comprises receiving a peer discovery signal from the first device, wherein the peer discovery signal is received by the first device for the MTC device. The method of C17, indicating that it can be used to act as a relay.
[C23]
Further comprising transmitting a message to the first device, wherein the message confirms that the MTC has data to relay to the second device via the first device. the method of.
[C24]
The method of C17, wherein the second device is a cellular base station.
[C25]
The method of C17, wherein the second device is a wireless local area network (WLAN) access point.
[C26]
The method of C17, further comprising receiving downlink communication directly from the second device by the MTC device.
[C27]
A machine type communication (MTC) device,
A processor;
A memory in electronic communication with the processor;
Instructions stored in the memory;
The instruction comprises:
Participate in the discovery process with the first device,
A device executable by the processor to transmit data to the first device for relay to a second device.
[C28]
The instructions are
Establishing a peer-to-peer connection with the first device;
The device of C27, executable by the processor to transmit data to the first device via the peer-to-peer connection for relaying to the second device.
[C29]
The device of C27, wherein the instructions are executable by the processor to receive one or more messages from the first device by routing through the second device.
[C30]
The device of C27, wherein the instructions are executable by the processor to receive downlink communications directly from the second device.

Claims (30)

A method of wireless communication implemented in a first device comprising:
Participating in a discovery process to discover machine type communication (MTC) devices;
Receiving data from the discovered MTC device at the first device;
Relaying the data from the MTC device to a second device by the first device. Establishing a first peer-to-peer connection with the MTC device;
The method of claim 1, further comprising establishing a second connection with the second device.   The method of claim 1, wherein participating in the discovery process with the MTC device comprises broadcasting a peer discovery signal to indicate availability to act as a relay by the first device. . Receiving a request from the MTC device to act as the relay;
The method of claim 3, further comprising: sending a message to the MTC device to confirm that the first device acts as the relay.   The sending to the MTC device a message confirming that the first device acts as the relay comprises routing the message to the MTC device via the second device. 4. The method according to 4.   The method of claim 1, wherein participating in the discovery process with the MTC device comprises receiving a peer discovery signal from the MTC device. Sending a message to the MTC device, the message indicating that the first device is available to act as a relay;
Receiving the request from the MTC device to act as the relay.   The method of claim 7, wherein sending the message to the MTC device comprises routing the message to the MTC device via the second device.   The method of claim 1, wherein relaying data from the MTC device to the second device comprises relaying uplink data from the MTC device to the second device.   The method of claim 1, wherein the second device communicates directly with the MTC device on a downlink.   The method of claim 1, wherein the second device is a cellular base station.   The method of claim 1, wherein the second device is a wireless local area network (WLAN) access point. A device for relaying MTC data,
A processor;
A memory in electronic communication with the processor;
Instructions stored in the memory, the instructions comprising:
Participate in the discovery process to discover machine type communication (MTC) devices,
Receiving data from the discovered MTC device;
A device executable by the processor to relay the data from the MTC device to a second device. The instructions are
Establishing a first peer-to-peer connection with the MTC device;
The device of claim 13, executable by the processor to establish a second connection with the second device.   14. The device of claim 13, wherein the instructions are executable by the processor to send one or more messages to the MTC device by routing through the second device.   The device of claim 13, wherein the second device communicates directly on the downlink with the MTC device. A method of wireless communication implemented by a machine type communication (MTC) device comprising:
Participating in the discovery process with the first device;
Transmitting data by the MTC device to the first device for relay to a second device. Further comprising establishing a peer-to-peer connection with the first device;
The method of claim 17, wherein transmitting data to the first device for relay to a second device is through the peer-to-peer connection.   The method of claim 17, wherein participating in the discovery process with the first device comprises broadcasting a peer discovery signal to request the first device to act as a relay.   20. The method of claim 19, further comprising receiving a message from the first device, wherein the message indicates that the first device is available to act as the relay.   21. The method of claim 20, wherein the MTC device receives the message from the first device by routing through the second device.   Participating in the discovery process with the first device comprises receiving a peer discovery signal from the first device, wherein the peer discovery signal is received by the first device for the MTC device. The method of claim 17, wherein the method is indicated to be available to act as a relay.   23. The method further comprising transmitting a message to the first device, wherein the message confirms that the MTC has data to relay to the second device via the first device. The method described in 1.   The method of claim 17, wherein the second device is a cellular base station.   The method of claim 17, wherein the second device is a wireless local area network (WLAN) access point.   The method of claim 17, further comprising receiving downlink communication directly from the second device by the MTC device. A machine type communication (MTC) device,
A processor;
A memory in electronic communication with the processor;
Instructions stored in the memory, the instructions comprising:
Participate in the discovery process with the first device,
A device executable by the processor to transmit data to the first device for relay to a second device. The instructions are
Establishing a peer-to-peer connection with the first device;
28. The device of claim 27, executable by the processor to transmit data to the first device via the peer-to-peer connection for relaying to the second device.   28. The device of claim 27, wherein the instructions are executable by the processor to receive one or more messages from the first device by routing through the second device.   28. The device of claim 27, wherein the instructions are executable by the processor to receive downlink communications directly from the second device.

Images